‘Walk The Hill Festival’ In Newark Promotes Wellness, Boosts Businesses

NEWARK, NJ — Nearly 200 people recently transformed the Clinton Avenue commercial corridor into a vibrant hub of physical health, cultural celebration and community engagement during an annual "Wellness Festival" in Newark.

Hosted by the Lemonaid Foundation for Endometriosis, the "Walk the Hill: Newark Wellness & Culture Festival" was organized in partnership with Clinton Hill Community Action and their Seniors in Action initiative. The event was folded into their annual Aloha Cookout – which made for some festive and flowery attire.

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Festival-goers at the main sound stage enjoyed an energetic live DJ, interactive community games including bingo, fresh food catered by local favorite The Weekend Spot, and a hands-on art tent where attendees painted custom canvas murals to take home.

A key highlight of the festival was the Interactive Business Passport Walking Tour, which guided 30 active participants along Clinton Avenue from Bergen Street to Hedden Terrace and Shanley Avenue.

Participants filled out custom event passports by visiting local small businesses, sit-down restaurants and community landmarks. Stops included neighborhood staples such as Burkindi Restaurant, Kings Family Restaurant, Bachata & Merengue Restaurant, Woodstack, Plants & Poets, Stacy's Nail Salon, Swaray Express Hair, Madware Clothing, King Vee, St. James Health, and the Newark Police 5th Precinct.

In addition to driving immediate foot traffic to small businesses, the festival served as a catalyst for physical neighborhood revitalization. During route planning, organizers identified an overgrown public mural at Farley Avenue and Clinton Avenue. Working in collaboration with the City of Newark, the site was thoroughly cleaned and landscaped prior to the event – restoring a key piece of public art for the neighborhood.

Lemonaid Foundation founder Alice Terrell-Bryant created the initiative through her personal advocacy and ongoing battle with endometriosis – a painful, whole-body disease with lifelong health implications that affects 1 in 10 women, girls and people of menstruating age.

"Endometriosis and chronic health conditions affect entire families and communities, yet they are so often suffered in silence," said Alice Terrell-Bryant. "Through Walk the Hill, we are breaking that silence. We are encouraging healthy choices, active lifestyles, and showing our community that we can walk toward good health together, one step at a time."

The event received a grant from the Newark Alliance under the Experience Newark Community Event Sponsorship Program, and received support from South Ward Councilman Pat Council and At-Large Councilman C. Lawrence Crump.

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